Engine or motor?

Engine or Motor

  • Engine

    Votes: 86 60.1%

  • Motor

    Votes: 27 18.9%

  • Depends on who I'm talking to

    Votes: 30 21.0%
  • Total voters
    143
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rmchrgr

rmchrgr

Skate And Destroy
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Kind of a silly post here but I'm bored and looking for cheap thrills.

What do you call the powerplant in your car, an engine or motor? I've always associated the word motor with a small electric motor, like a drill or something.

However, all my life I've been hearing guys say things like "I'm gonna pull the motor" or "I'm building a new motor". To me, this is incorrect syntax.

Motor sounds tough though and engine sounds like engineering and ultimately nerdiness.

I say engine. What say you?
 
rmchrgr said:
Kind of a silly post here but I'm bored and looking for cheap thrills.

What do you call the powerplant in your car, an engine or motor? I've always associated the word motor with a small electric motor, like a drill or something.

However, all my life I've been hearing guys say things like "I'm gonna pull the motor" or "I'm building a new motor". To me, this is incorrect syntax.

Motor sounds tough though and engine sounds like engineering and ultimately nerdiness.

I say engine. What say you?
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DUDE!!!! What a great thread! I always say motor.....you do replace your "motor mounts" although the FSM says front and rear "engine" mounts...:read2:

My one buddy HATES when I say motor...he says motors are electric and engines are internal combustion.
 
Technically, by scientific definition, a motor has ONE moving part, (ie, and electric motor) and an engine has multiple moving parts, as in an internal combustion engine.
 
The definition I go by is that an engine produces energy from within such as burning fuel in a closed area. A motor uses external energy such as electricity. Now a steam engine can be hard to classify because the energy source (heat) is on the outside but the energy produced (steam) is on the inside. Both terms can be used for the same item since both a motor and an engine take energy and produce rotational motion. I also think an engine can fall under the definition of a motor more than a motor can be defined as an engine. Just my thoughts on the subject.
 
If I can remember way back to my high school days, my shop teacher told us "electric motor...gasoline engine". That being said, I am one of the nitwits that uses both words. "Pull the motor"..."pull the engine" its all the same to me.
 
64physhy said:
Technically, by scientific definition, a motor has ONE moving part, (ie, and electric motor) and an engine has multiple moving parts, as in an internal combustion engine.
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You took the words right out of my mouth!! If my printer takes a crap I would say that the motor is fried, not that the engine is fried. To me, motor is more of a broad term that encompasses electrical power sources where as engine refers to a combustion power.
 
Dartnewbie said:
The definition I go by is that an engine produces energy from within such as burning fuel in a closed area. A motor uses external energy such as electricity. Now a steam engine can be hard to classify because the energy source (heat) is on the outside but the energy produced (steam) is on the inside. Both terms can be used for the same item since both a motor and an engine take energy and produce rotational motion. I also think an engine can fall under the definition of a motor more than a motor can be defined as an engine. Just my thoughts on the subject.
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I don't buy that, because gasoline, diesel, or other fuel has potential energy, and thus, internal combustion engines are also motors.
 
It actually is an engine (e.g. combustion engine).

A motor in reality using electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, nearly always by the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors. The reverse process, that of using mechanical energy to produce electrical energy, is accomplished by a generator or dynamo.

This is also a pet peeve of mine as well but the term Motor has become the slang of engine…
 
rmchrgr said:
Kind of a silly post here but I'm bored and looking for cheap thrills.

What do you call the powerplant in your car, an engine or motor? I've always associated the word motor with a small electric motor, like a drill or something.

However, all my life I've been hearing guys say things like "I'm gonna pull the motor" or "I'm building a new motor". To me, this is incorrect syntax.

Motor sounds tough though and engine sounds like engineering and ultimately nerdiness.

I say engine. What say you?
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Which ever the local parts house counter person needs to hear to get me the right parts for the car: IE: if he/she says "what motor" than its motor if he/she says "what Engine" than it's engine~
 
Only a train has a injun. Everything else is moduh :)
 
An engine is powered via a thermodynamic process (burning of fossils fuels, nuclear fuels, etc).

This is why the thrusters on a rocket are called rocket engines (not rocket motors). Most have no moving parts but produce thrust by the burning of fuel and oxidizer through a nozzle.

In a nuclear power plant the reactor is the heat source for the steam engine that produces power to run the turbines which rotate the power generators.

A motor is powered by electricity.

just my $.02,

Bob

BSME (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering)1989, University of Maryland
 
I have always heard this debacle over the Motor/Engine word useage too.

The general rule is like everyone pointed out:

Engines: require fuel to make energy, and covert that energy to mechanical rotational torque

Motors: consume energy and create torque

I still say "motor" in coversations though.....:munky2:
 
As soon as I seen this pole I have always said Motor when I write and when I talk I say engine because of spelling so I had to say Motor.
Know I will go back and read what everyone has to say.
 
Prine said:
I have always heard this debacle over the Motor/Engine word useage too.

The general rule is like everyone pointed out:

Engines: require fuel to make energy, and covert that energy to mechanical rotational torque

Motors: consume energy and create torque

I still say "motor" in coversations though.....:munky2:
Click to expand...

:read2: That is basicly the way I heard it. I'm with Prine on this 100%. :cheers:
Though, I'm not correcting anybody on the net or in convo. We all are smart enuff to know what's going on. LOL:-D
 
I say both but in high school the auto class teacher would always yell at us, "it is a engine, motor's are electric!!"
 
OK was tought cars have engines but today some cars have both I think we call them hybers so both would be correct but does it make a big differance in a bench race.
 
I'm going to walk into the local NAPA tonight and ask for windshield wiper engine. :-D
 
ramcharger said:
I'm going to walk into the local NAPA tonight and ask for windshield wiper engine. :-D
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LMAO and then just imagine the person behind the counter thinking "man I hope this guy is having someone else do the work for him" :-D
 
Coyote Jack said:
The way I was told was a motor uses power and an engine makes power.

Jack
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:hello1::hello1::hello1: After all the schooling and teachers I had in the automotive world,my dad said what you said jack so all you high tech big worded people this is how you define motor and engine on earth.:happy1:
 
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